Written Answers Monday 22 January 2007

Scottish Executive

Aggregates Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions have taken place in Scotland for breaches of the law relating to the aggregates levy.

Elish Angiolini QC: The Finance Act 2001 (as amended) creates a number of offences in relation to the aggregates levy. No reports in respect of such offences have been submitted to procurators fiscal.

Central Heating

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider employing additional gas contractors to assist Scottish Gas with the delivery of the free central heating scheme over the winter months when demand is particularly high and elderly people are at greater risk of illness due to cold weather.

Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  As part of the contractual arrangements it is the responsibility of Scottish Gas to ensure that installers, in sufficient numbers, are engaged on the programme to install the target number of central heating systems each year. The performance of Scottish Gas is kept under review by Communities Scotland.

Central Heating Programme

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were on the waiting list on 14 December 2006 to receive a free central heating system.

Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The number of applicants on the central heating programme waiting list at 14 December 2006, as notified by Scottish Gas, was 6,914.

  Historically, not all householders who apply to the programmes are eligible or go on to benefit through the programme.

Central Heating Programme

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were on the waiting list to have a free central heating system installed on the date that Scottish Gas assumed responsibility for the delivery of the scheme from the previous contractors, Eaga.

Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The number of applicants on the central heating programme list, as notified by Eaga to Scottish Gas, was 12,319. After data cleansing this was reduced to 10,988.

  Historically, not all householders who apply to the programmes are eligible or go on to benefit through the programme. From the original list provided by Eaga, it is estimated that around 4,200 householders will benefit from the programme.

Central Heating Programme

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Gas to ensure that the delivery of the free central heating scheme is as efficient as possible.

Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Discussions regarding all aspects of the programme, including the provision of an efficient and effective service, have been on-going, between Communities Scotland and Scottish Gas, since the contract was awarded on 25 August 2006.

Central Heating Programme

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many contractors have agreements in place with Scottish Gas to supply and install gas central heating under the Executive’s central heating programme.

Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Currently, 27 installers are engaged by Scottish Gas to undertake the installation of gas central heating systems under the central heating programme.

Central Heating Programme

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many elderly residents have received free central heating in the Stirling parliamentary constituency since the programme’s inception.

Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Information is not held centrally in the form requested covering the Stirling parliamentary constituency but by postcode area. In the FK postcode area a total of 1,603 households in the private sector are now centrally heated as a result of the central heating programme.

Dentistry

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding has been allocated to NHS Lanarkshire to enhance the provision of dental services in Clydesdale.

Lewis Macdonald: Under the Primary Care Premises Modernisation Programme NHS Lanarkshire successfully bid for £500,000 to provide a new three surgery dental facility attached to the existing Health Centre in Biggar.

Drug Misuse

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has produced specific advice for GPs, based on the drug misuse and dependence guidelines, in relation to the prescribing of methadone.

Mr Andy Kerr: No. The current guidelines Drug Misuse and Dependence – Guidelines on Clinical Management , published in 1999, were produced jointly by the health departments of all four UK countries and ratified by the then Scottish Office Department of Health. The guidelines are for all clinicians, not just for GPs. Scottish Executive officials have "observer" status on the UK group which is currently meeting to update the guidelines.

Drug Misuse

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to ensure that GPs follow the drug misuse and dependence guidelines when prescribing methadone.

Mr Andy Kerr: As part of their continuing professional development, GPs are expected to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in clinical practice, including the latest guidelines which relate to their areas of clinical practice.

  GPs working in practices providing an enhanced service for drug misusers under the terms of the General Medical Services contract will be required to adhere to the standards laid down in the specification of this enhanced service. Although each NHS board’s specification will vary according to local circumstances, the drug misuse and dependence guidelines are the clinical management standard on which all current drug misuser services are based.

Drug Misuse

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it can take if the drug misuse and dependence guidelines are not followed in relation to the prescribing of methadone.

Mr Andy Kerr: The guidelines Drug Misuse and Dependence – Guidelines on Clinical Management are designed to guide doctors in the clinical management of their drug misusing patients. Any doctor not fulfilling the standards and quality of care in the appropriate treatment of drug misusers that are set out in the guidelines will have this taken into account if, for any reason, consideration of their performance in this clinical area is undertaken. Such consideration would be for the appropriate NHS board as employer, or the General Medical Council if the case were referred to them.

  However, the final decision to prescribe methadone rests with the individual practitioner in consultation with and based on the specific health needs of their patient. There may be circumstances in which a GP would be justified in not following the guidelines.

Drug Misuse

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken to ascertain the level of compliance with the drug misuse and dependence guidelines in relation to the prescribing of methadone.

Mr Andy Kerr: As part of the Scottish Executive’s review of the place of methadone in the treatment of drug misusers, Health Department officials have written to NHS boards in Scotland seeking information on their arrangements for monitoring the implementation of the current UK guidelines Drug Misuse and Dependence – Guidelines on Clinical Management and any local clinical guidelines.

Employment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the residence-based claimant count unemployment rate was for each council ward in the city of Edinburgh in each year since 1999.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the residence-based claimant count unemployment rate was for each council ward in Falkirk in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: I have placed tables showing the residence based claimant count unemployment rates by council ward in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41454).

  For information, data on claimant count unemployment by ward is available free of charge at the National Online Manpower Information Website which can be accessed at www.nomisweb.co.uk.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the recent annual fisheries negotiations.

Ross Finnie: A note has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41530) summarising the detailed decisions taken during last year’s fishing negotiations.

  These decisions included quota increases for a number of important fisheries, in particular North Sea haddock (5%), western mackerel (13%), Northern monkfish (10%), Rockall haddock (773%) and west coast nephrops (13%). In addition cuts in a number of secondary fisheries were successfully resisted.

  There were reductions in North Sea nephrops (7%), North Sea cod (14%) and a significant reduction in North Sea herring (25%) a move which has been recognised by the industry as necessary to conserve the stock.

  On days at sea, cuts of 7% for the whitefish fleet and 10% for most of the nephrops fleet were agreed, an improvement on the Commission’s original position of 25% cuts for both fleets. In addition there are provisions to allow whitefish boats to regain most of their lost days by opting for the UK’s system of automatic licence suspensions, and 11 additional days for nephrops boats which choose to use more selective gear.

  Whilst some of these decisions were disappointing, I am convinced that the overall deal represented the best available in the circumstances.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any proposals are being considered in relation to Scotland’s role within the UK negotiating team following the outcome of the recent fisheries negotiations.

Ross Finnie: As in previous years, the Scottish Executive played a full and influential role as part of the UK’s negotiating team. There are no plans to change the current arrangements.

Flood Prevention

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will work with Perth and Kinross Council to investigate the failure of the flood prevention scheme in Milnathort.

Sarah Boyack: Given the existence of a recently completed flood defence scheme, it is in the interest of Perth and Kinross Council, its consulting engineers and the Scottish Executive to ensure that a thorough investigation of the events at Milnathort is undertaken to establish the reasons for the December flooding. In the first instance it is for the council to investigate the facts and produce a report. Perth and Kinross Council published its initial report on Wednesday 17 January 2007. The report makes recommendations for completing investigations into the causes of the flooding and on the implementation of likely remedial actions. We need time to consider this and subsequent reports before we can offer comment. Only once this stage is complete will it be possible to establish the nature of cause of the flood and whether damage caused by the flood was attributable to some deficiency in the flood defence scheme.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) diagnosis and (b) mortality rate was for (i) chronic lung disease, (ii) coronary heart disease and (iii) cancer in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is given in the tables within diagnosis and mortality rates of coronary heart disease, chronic lung disease and cancer by parliamentary constituency since 1999, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41484).

  Note that populations by parliamentary constituency are not readily available. However, these populations can be estimated by aggregating populations, which are available by datazone geography level. There are instances where a datazone is split across more than one parliamentary constituency. In these cases, the datazone population is allocated to the parliamentary constituency that contains the highest number of postcode areas that make up the datazone.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider any decision to decline meetings between ministers and representatives of the British Psychological Society and its partner organisations to discuss plans for statutory regulation of the profession.

Mr Andy Kerr: I have been fully briefed by the society on its views on statutory regulation of the profession. I am also aware of the thrust of the Society’s recent discussion with Mr Andy Burnham in his capacity as Minister for Delivery and Quality at the Department of Health (DH). I am in continuous dialogue with UK ministers as we take forward the regulation of healthcare professions together across the country. In these circumstances I do not intend to arrange a meeting in Scotland at this point in time. Any eventual order under section 60 of the Health Act 1999 to regulate psychologists will have to be approved by resolution of the Scottish Parliament as well as Westminster. Such an order must await the policy decisions on future regulation which will result from current discussions with the other UK countries following the consultation on the regulation reviews.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in relation to the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

Mr Andy Kerr: The treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension has been recognised as a designated national service because of the small numbers involved and the high cost of treatment. The service, which is funded by NHSScotland collectively, is provided by the Scottish Pulmonary Vascular Unit in Glasgow, and accepts referrals from anywhere in Scotland.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: Data on primary pulmonary hypertension alone are not available. The condition occurs in about one or two per million population. It affects women more than men, with an onset age of between 30 and 40 years.

  The number of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension referred to the national specialist centre in Glasgow in each of the last five years was:

  2001-02: 53

  2002-03: 71

  2003-04: 78

  2004-05: 81

  2005-06: 85.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the treatment of motor neurone disease by the NHS in each of the last three years and how much is being spent in the current year, broken down by NHS board; how many patients have been treated in each area in each year, and what plans the Executive has to improve the treatment of patients suffering from the condition.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the cost of treating specific conditions such as motor neurone disease is not held centrally.

  The number of patients treated in Scottish hospitals with a main diagnosis of motor neurone disease during the last three years is shown in the following table:

  

 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 206
 193
 199



  Source: Scottish Morbidity Record SMR01 – in-patient/day case discharge summaries. Due to the small numbers of patients involved, a break down by NHS board of residence would risk compromising patient confidentiality.

  The Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association has had discussions with officials in the Health Department about developing a national managed clinical network (MCN) for MND. The Association, through its membership of the Scottish Neurological Alliance, has been working with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland on the development of standards for all neurological conditions.

Health

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the GP out-of-hours service has been operating in remote and rural areas, particularly over the recent festive period, and how many foreign agency staff have been brought in to assist with out-of-hours provision.

Mr Andy Kerr: Independent GP practices continue to provide much of the out-of-hours cover in remote and rural areas, and the information on their operational performance is not held centrally.

  The rest of the out-of-hours service has performed well over the festive period. For example, NHS 24 and NHS board out-of-hours services were able to manage a 15 per cent increase in calls over the festive period compared with the previous year.

  Information on the involvement of foreign staff in the out-of-hours service is not held centrally.

Health

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with the Ministry of Defence about the rehabilitation, care and nursing of Scottish servicemen and women who have been discharged from military service because of injuries received in the course of duty.

Mr Andy Kerr: Since 2004 there has been a concordat in place between the UK Departments of Health and the Ministry of Defence (MOD Defence Medical Services) on Delivering our Armed Forces Healthcare Needs . Implementation of this agreement is overseen by a partnership board which meets three times per year; and on which Scotland is represented by the Chief Medical Officer.

  Separately there are also on-going discussions between the health departments and MOD in the context of UK-wide discussions about support for the mental health needs of veterans.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to disseminate information on its hand hygiene campaign.

Mr Andy Kerr: Health Protection Scotland is leading the National Hand Hygiene Campaign on behalf of the Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force, and is providing information through a number of channels, including:

  the campaign website www.washyourhandsofthem.com;

  the media via TV and press advertising;

  on products and in facilities used by the public, such as public toilets, cash machines and milk cartons, and

  through posters, leaflets and information packs, which will be distributed to NHS boards, GP surgeries, community pharmacies, dental practices, opticians and the care sector, including nurseries and primary schools.

  NHS boards have also received funding to employ local health board co-ordinators who will be responsible for ensuring full local implementation of the campaign, including the effective dissemination of information at a local level and display in Hospitals.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include care homes, private homes and nurseries in the remit of its hand hygiene campaign.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Care Commission, which is represented on the Scottish Executive’s Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force, has given its full support to the National Hand Hygiene Campaign. Health Protection Scotland will disseminate information posters and leaflets to care homes, including those run by the private sector.

  An information and resource pack for nurseries and primary schools is currently under development and will issue in March 2007.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with further and higher education institutions in respect of increasing awareness of the importance of good hand hygiene practices among students entering the medical, caring and nursing professions.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS Education for Scotland’s Cleanliness Champions Training Programme, which includes a specific module on hand hygiene, has been included in undergraduate medical and nursing courses. To date, around 1,500 undergraduates have completed the programme.

  The programme has also been made available to staff working in the Care Sector and work is on-going to extend it to undergraduate courses for other disciplines, such as dentistry. The hand hygiene module from the programme is also accessible online to widen its availability to those wishing to undertake it.

  In addition, all new staff in the NHS now have to undertake mandatory induction training in infection control, which includes hand hygiene.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS Ayrshire and Arran in respect of the implementation of the hand hygiene campaign.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scottish Medical Directors are represented on the Scottish Executive’s Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force, which commissioned the National Hand Hygiene Campaign, by a member from NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Throughout the Campaign, information has been circulated to NHS board chief executives and other local interests. NHS Ayrshire and Arran are in the process of recruiting a local health board co-ordinator, who will be responsible for local implementation of the campaign.

Health

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what total health expenditure was in purchasing power parities per capita in each year since 1999, expressed in US dollars and calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Information Services Division (ISD) have been working on producing Scottish data which are equivalent to that presented in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) European Health for All database. The current version covers around 80% of the indicators included in this database.

  However, to avoid the possibility of misleading comparisons being made, ISD have excluded indicators where the required data were not readily available or where they could not produce a Scottish indicator based on the WHO definition. The total health expenditure figures requested are one of these excluded indicators. Calculating this indicator depends on having detailed data on private health expenditure and ensuring that it is compatible with WHO definitions. This is not currently possible.

  ISD are continuing to investigate, along with the Health Department, all of the indicators which are currently excluded and will add any new indicators to future versions of the database.

Health

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total (a) recurring and (b) non-recurring allocation of funding was to NHS Orkney in each year since 1996-97.

Mr Andy Kerr: Details are as follows:

  

 
RecurringAllocation
(£ Million)
Non-RecurringAllocation
(£ Million)


 1996-97
 17.307
 2.065


 1997-98
 19.042
 2.152


 1998-99
 19.438
 3.63


 1999-2000
 19.805
 3.909


 2000-01
 20.972
 5.835


 2001-02
 22.963
 2.506


 2002-03
 24.676
 3.133


 2003-04
 25.746
 4.488


 2004-05
 30.577
 3.174


 2005-06
 32.982
 6.607


 2006-07 to date
 34.528
 3.638

Heritage

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the contents of the Historic Scotland document, Conservation of Architectural Ancient Monuments in Scotland , represent Executive policy and, if so, how this policy was determined and whether it will publish any relevant consultation papers and responses.

Patricia Ferguson: The status of the Historic Scotland document The Conservation of Architectural Ancient Monuments in Scotland: Guidance on Principles  is made clear by its title: as is made explicit in the foreword and introduction, the document provides guidance and advice to the owners of scheduled and other monuments with structural remains, and those working for their owners, based on the accumulated knowledge and experience of several generations of ancient monuments inspectors and architects.

Mortality

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mortality rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have been in each parliamentary constituency in each year since 1997.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is given in the table Mortality rates of coronary heart disease by parliamentary constituency since 1997 , a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41483).

  Note that populations by parliamentary constituency are not readily available. However, these populations can be estimated by aggregating populations, which are available by datazone geography level. There are instances where a datazone is split across more than one parliamentary constituency. In these cases, the datazone population is allocated to the parliamentary constituency that contains the highest number of postcode areas that make up the datazone.

NHS Contracts

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value of all NHS land sales has been in each year since 1999, also broken down by sale.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information on land sales is not held centrally. Following the reconfiguration of NHSScotland bodies from 1 April 2004 we can more easily collate from available information the capital receipts generated by the disposal of all assets.

  For the years 2004-05 and 2005-06 the information is as follows:

  

 Health Board
Proceeds Realised on Disposal of Assets (£000)


 2004-05
 2005-06


 Argyll and Clyde
 0
 839


 Ayr and Arran
 117
 100


 Borders
 0
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 367
 409


 Fife
 260
 32


 Forth Valley
 0
 214


 Grampian
 2,047
 17,854


 Glasgow
 175
 8,977


 Highland
 847
 1,402


 Lanark
 65
 0


 Lothian
 3,075
 5,560


 Orkney
 49
 2


 Shetland
 
 0


 Tayside
 
 7,228


 West Is
 
 48


 Unified Total
 7,144
 42,665


 Special Health Boards
 256
 355


 Total
 7,400
 43,020



  The above figures include receipts from the disposal of NHS assets including equipment, IT hardware etc. However, the overwhelming majority of these receipts were from the sale of surplus property including land.

NHS Contracts

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any senior posts in its Health Department or in NHS Scotland where the postholders have an interest in, or an employment history with, Serco, giving details of any such interest or history.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive staff are not required to make declarations of interests as a matter of course. However, if a member of staff comes into contact with any issue concerning a particular organisation in which they have a financial or other interest, they are required to declare this immediately. A decision is then made locally as to whether they should continue to deal with the issue.

  The Scottish Executive is not aware of any senior staff in Health Department having a career history with Serco.

  Information about the career history or personal interests of senior staff within NHSScotland is not held centrally and is a matter for each NHS board.

NHS Staff

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30476 by Mr Andy Kerr on 19 December 2006, whether it has had any discussions with the NHS with a view to deploying a clinical nurse specialist in neuroscience/neurology in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS boards are responsible for planning services in their area based on clinical need and for securing the staff needed to deliver them.

NHS Waiting Times

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been removed from official NHS in-patient waiting lists in each year since 1990.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not available centrally.

  Information on in-patient/day case waiting lists is collected via a monthly census and published quarterly by ISD Scotland. Between census dates, thousands of patients are added to or removed from NHS boards’ waiting lists. There are many reasons for the removal of patients from lists, including for example, those admitted for treatment, those whose condition has improved and no longer require hospital treatment, and those who move address outwith the NHS board area.

NHS Waiting Times

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum wait for an angioplasty should be for a patient following an angiogram that identifies a need for the procedure.

Mr Andy Kerr: The current national maximum waiting time for angioplasty, following angiography, is 18 weeks.

  Published information shows that on 30 September 2006 – the latest data available - all NHS boards met this commitment on that date, as they have done on every waiting list census date since 30 September 2004.

  From the end of this year, no patient presenting with chest pain will wait more than 16 weeks from General Medical Practitioner referral through a rapid access chest pain clinic or equivalent, to cardiac intervention thereafter.

NHS Waiting Times

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent average waiting times for angioplasty were in (a) NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Mr Andy Kerr: Most patients who require in-patient or day case treatment, including angioplasty, are treated very quickly. Over 53% of patients treated in NHSScotland hospitals receive immediate treatment and never join a waiting list. Of those who wait, almost 40% are admitted for treatment within one month and over 70% within three months.

  For those patients who wait longer, the current national maximum waiting time for angioplasty, following angiography, is 18 weeks. Published information shows that on 30 September 2006 – the latest data available - all NHS boards met this commitment on that date, as they have done on every waiting list census date since 30 September 2004.

  From the end of this year, no patient presenting with chest pain will wait more than 16 weeks from General Medical Practitioner referral through a rapid access chest pain clinic or equivalent, to cardiac intervention thereafter.

  Provisional information for the year ending 30 September 2006 shows that the median waiting time for angioplasty was 28 days in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and 26 days in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

  Median waiting times for angioplasty are derived from information on patients treated during the year. This data includes patients who have had an Availability Status Code (ASC) applied, for example because they were medically unfit or had asked for their admission to be deferred for personal or social reasons. Periods of unavailability are therefore included in the calculations of median waiting times, which means that the waits are systematically overstated.

Olympic Games

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent representations have been made by community groups, voluntary organisations and other interested parties anent the implications for community-based projects in Scotland of National Lottery funds being re-allocated or redirected to fund the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: No recent representations have been received.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of male prisoners are fathers.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-25930 on 23 May 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Disclosure Scotland should amend the existing disclosure application form without adequate consultation with service users, given the cost of amending the form and its possible obsolescence should the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill be enacted.

Cathy Jamieson: The new Disclosure Scotland application form is set out in the Schedule to Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) 2006 No 521. The SSI came into force on 15 December 2006 after completing the normal Parliamentary process for Instruments that are subject to negative procedure. The new form was introduced following criticism by users that the previous form was too complicated. The top 35 users of Disclosure Scotland, including the Central Registered Body for Scotland (CRBS), which processes free checks for the voluntary sector, were consulted on the planned revisions. The new form is simpler and more logical. It includes two new questions. The first ensures that the Disqualified from Working with Children List and its English counterpart is checked for all childcare posts and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list from England checked for posts working with protected adults. The second allows free checks for volunteers working with children and protected adults in the voluntary sector to be processed without the involvement of the CRBS.

  The new form can be used for applications for disclosures under the Police Act 1997 for at least the next seven years. It will also be used by those applicants who will in future join the vetting and barring Scheme proposed in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill until such time as the scheme is up and running, which is expected to be during 2008.

Renewable Energy

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider granting permitted development status to small domestic wind turbines to encourage the use of renewable energy.

Des McNulty: The Executive is strongly committed to increasing energy from all renewable energy sources, including micro-generation. Research was commissioned in 2006 to consider the scope of extending permitted development rights for some micro-generation projects. Officials are currently studying this report with a view to consulting on proposed legislation during 2007.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any donations, subscriptions and other payments made by it and its agencies to the CBI and other business lobbying organisations during the current and last financial years.

Nicol Stephen: On the basis of information held on the Scottish Executive Accounting System, including the last and current financial year to date, I can confirm that monies were paid to the CBI, Scottish Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.

  The information requested is provided in the document entitled SEAS record of monies paid by the Scottish Executive and its agencies to business organisations for the financial years 2005-06, and 2006-07 (to date). A copy of this document has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41473).

Tourism

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why VisitScotland will send copies of The Essential Guide to Scotland 2007 only to addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

Patricia Ferguson: VisitScotland publishes a number of Scotland guides, each targeted at specific key markets both at home and abroad. The Essential Guide to Scotland is tailored to potential visitors from the UK and Republic of Ireland, and so is targeted at this market. Other guides are used to target different overseas markets. These have similar content to the Essential Guide to Scotland , but are tailored specifically for the target audience, and are written in the relevant language. Tailoring its brochures in this way ensures that VisitScotland’s marketing is highly effective.

Tourism

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what material it sends to individuals who inquire on websites or by other means about visiting Scotland from overseas.

Patricia Ferguson: VisitScotland and VisitScotland.com respond to enquiries from potential visitors by sending out brochure material appropriate to the nature of the request. In addition, staff will also refer consumers to relevant pages or sections of the VisitScotland.com website or any other websites that they may find useful in relation to their potential trip to Scotland.